Wood leads locals on first day of Trans-Miss Amateur Championship at windy Prairie Dunes

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A pair of Tennesseans share the lead after the first round of the 114th Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championship at windswept Prairie Dunes Country Club. Hunter Richardson, a senior at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and Stoney Crouch, a recent graduate from Nashville’s Lipscomb University, each shot 3-under-par 67 under taxing conditions. They hold a one-stroke advantage over Iowa junior Matthew Walker from Ottumwa, Iowa, headed into Wednesday’s second round.

Set in almost the exact middle of the United States, Prairie Dunes is considered by most as the premier inland links-style golf course in the country. Central Kansas, meanwhile, is known for its hot, windy summer days. Nothing that happened in the first round of this year’s Trans-Miss Amateur disputed either of those reputations.

On a sun-splashed day that saw temperatures crest around 103 degrees in the mid-afternoon, the 144 players in the field battled 30-mph winds and Perry Maxwell’s venerable 1937 design that weaves in and around knee-high heather grass-covered sand dunes. Richardson and Crouch persevered on a tough day.

“It’s a grind,” said Richardson, a two-time Ohio Valley Conference champion. “The wind makes this course so hard. The greens are firm. I really try to take it hole by hole, shot by shot. You can’t get ahead of yourself in winds like this. I played pretty well today.”

Among players with Oklahoma ties, Edmond’s Hayden Wood of Oklahoma State shot 70 and is three shots back. The University of Oklahoma’s Blaine Hale shot 72 and teammate Rylee Reinertsen shot 73. Cody Burrows of Chickasha and Oral Roberts shot 74, while Brendon Jelley of Tulsa and OSU and Austin Eckroat of Edmond and OSU each shot 75. Complete results are below.

This is the sixth time Prairie Dunes has played host to the Trans-Miss Amateur. As most of the best courses do, Prairie Dunes has produced some memorable winners. Jack Nicklaus won the 1958 Trans-Miss Amateur at the breathtaking par-70 track. Texas Golf Hall of Fame member John Grace took home the 1996 edition at Prairie Dunes. Former professional and current NBC Sports broadcaster Gary Koch won the 1973 Trans-Miss Amateur here.

With the original nine holes built by Maxwell in during the Great Depression, his son J. Press Maxwell construction completed the routing in 1957 after his father’s death. The British-style, windblown course also welcomed the 2005 Trans-Miss Senior Amateur. That championship was won by Trans-Miss Director Chris Maletis of Portland, Ore. It was the second of Maletis’ five Trans-Miss Senior titles.

NOTES

WALKER CUP WATCH: Adding to the strength of the field, at least six players competing in the 114th Trans-Miss Amateur are in the conversation for the Walker Cup.

Among those hopeful to play for their country at the 26th Walker Cup Match are Morikawa, Zalatoris, Stewart Hagestad, Scottie Scheffler, Doug Ghim and Davis Shore. In less than two months, U.S. Captain John “Spider” Miller will announce the names for his 10-man team. That squad will lock horns with Great Britain and Ireland’s top amateurs in the biennial match play exhibition on Sept. 9-10 at Los Angeles Country Club.

Hagestad, the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and reigning Low Amateur at the Masters, is T54 at 4-over 74. Scheffler, the recent Low Amateur at the U.S. Open who finished T2 at Prairie Dunes in April at the Big 12 Championship, is T34 at 3-over 73. Ghim and Shore are both T99 at 7-over 77.

PD STANDS TALL: The stroke average for the first round was 75.19. Only six players broke par with another eight sitting at even-par 70. The uphill par-4 fifth hole that measures 477 yards and plays directly into the stiff south winds ranked toughest at 4.80. It yielded four birdies and 23 double bogeys or worse.

The 512-yard, par-5 seventh plays in the opposite direction – directly downwind – and was the only hole to average under par at 4.65. There were 68 birdies and seven eagles on the seventh hole.

SPOTLIGHT ON SUNFLOWER STATE: It’s a big month for amateur golf in Kansas. Thirteen players in the Trans-Miss Amateur field this week also qualified for U.S. Junior Amateur. Once play concludes Thursday at Prairie Dunes, they’ll make their way wander about 60 miles to the southwest to Flint Hills National and compete for the USGA national championship.

A 1997 Tom Fazio design, Flint Hills National played host to the 112th Trans-Miss Amateur in 2015. Morikawa ran away with the title that year; he won by seven shots over 2015 U.S. Junior champion Philip Barbaree.

Those playing in both championships this month are:

Parker Coody from Plano, Texas

Austin Eckroat from Edmond, Okla.

Cole Hammer from Houston, Texas

Garrick Higgo from Stellenbosch, South Africa

Cameron John from Melbourne, Australia

Andrew Kozan from West Palm Beach, Fla.

Kaiwen Liu from San Diego, Calif.

Chris Nido from Miami, Fla.

Wells Padgett from Wichita, Kan.

Davis Shore from Knoxville, Tenn.

Tyler Strafaci from Davie, Fla.

Matthew Wolff from Agoura Hills, Calif.

Shuai Ming Wong from Spring, Texas

WHAT’S NEXT: The second round of the 114th Trans-Miss Amateur begins Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. At the conclusion of the second round, the field will be cut to the low 54 scores (including ties).

The final 36 holes will be played in succession on the final day of the tournament, mirroring most collegiate championship formats. For more information on the 114th Trans-Miss Amateur Championship, click here.

114th Trans-Miss Amateur Championship

Prairie Dunes Country Club

Hutchinson, Kan.

July 11, 2017

ROUND ONE RESULTS

Stoney Crouch, Mt. Juliet , Tenn. – 34-33–67

Hunter Richardson, Clarksville, Tenn. – 34-33–67

Matthew Walker, Ottumwa, Iowa – 35-33–68

Daniel Sutton, Sutton Coldfield, WMD – 35-34–69

Chandler Phillips, Huntsville, Texas – 37-32–69

Trevor Brown, Austin, Texas – 35-34–69

Spencer Soosman, Westlake Village, Calif. – 36-34–70

Jeff Swegle, West Des Moines, Iowa – 39-31–70

Hayden Wood, Edmond, Okla. – 36-34–70

Sulman Raza, Eugene, Ore. – 35-35–70

Cameron Champ, Sacramento, Calif. – 34-36–70

Collin Morikawa, La Canada Flintridge, Calif. – 35-35–70

Andy Spencer, Prairie Village, Kan. – 34-36–70

Jamie Cheatham, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. – 37-33–70

Daniel Gale, Castle Hill, NSW – 33-38–71

Franklin Huang, Poway, Calif. – 37-34–71

Reese Ramsey, Austin, Texas – 34-37–71

Derek Hitchner, Minneapolis, Minn. – 34-37–71

Tanner Hughes, Livermore, Calif. – 33-38–71

Scott Stevens, Chattanooga, Tenn. – 35-37–72

Garrett May, Hope, Ark. – 37-35–72

Blaine Hale, Dallas, Texas – 36-36–72

Tyler Strafaci, Davie, Fla. – 35-37–72

Daniel Hudson, Western Springs, Ill. – 36-36–72

Derek Bard, New Hartford, N.Y. – 38-34–72

Kiran Day, Perth, WAU – 35-37–72

Matthew Perrine, Austin, Texas – 35-37–72

Isaiah Salinda, South San Francisco, Calif. – 37-3–72

Jordan Hahn, Spring Grove, Ill. – 35-37–72

Cameron Young, Scarborough, N.Y. – 37-35–72

Ben Sigel, Deephaven, Minn. – 38-34–72

Alex Springer, Olathe, Kan. – 38-34–72

Ruben Sondjaja, Ames, Iowa – 36-36–72

Eric Ansett, Spokane, Wash. – 35-38–73

Cole Hammer, Houston, Texas – 36-37–73

Adam Wood, Zionsville, Ind. – 36-37–73

Patrick Cover, Huntersville, N.C. – 37-36–73

Hayden Buckley, Belden, Miss. – 34-39–73

Rylee Reinertson, Gibbon, Neb. – 39-34–73

Will Zalatoris, Plano, Texas – 37-36–73

Sebastian Crampton, Pacific Grove, Calif. – 39-3–73

Brandon Wu, Scarsdale, N.Y. – 39-34–73

Brandon Bauman, Las Vegas, Nev. – 35-38–73

Tanner Napier, Paris, Texas – 38-35–73

James Anstiss, Hammond, La. – 37-36–73

Scottie Scheffler, Dallas, Texas – 38-35–73

Spencer Painton, Aurora, Colo. – 36-37–73

Gray Townsend, Winston Salem, N.C. – 37-36–73

Peter Kuest Jr, Fresno, Calif. – 39-34–73

Derek Busby, Ruston, La. – 37-36–73

Parker Coody, Plano, Texas – 36-37–73

Zachary Sokolosky, Wichita, Kan. – 36-37–73

Trevor Ullestad, Jewell, Iowa – 38-35–73

Philip Barbaree, Shreveport, La. – 37-37–74

Roy Cootes, Rolling Hills, Calif. – 39-35–74

Cooper Dossey, Austin, Texas – 36-38–74

Lawren Rowe, Victoria, BC – 38-36–74

Jake Fendt, Suwanee, Ga. – 37-37–74

Sean Carlon, Albuquerque, N.M. – 37-37–74

Stewart Hagestad, Newport Beach, Calif. – 35-39–74

Kaiwen Liu, San Diego, Calif. – 39-35–74

Ryan Grider, Lewisville, Texas – 39-35–74

Wes Artac, Kingwood, Texas – 37-37–74

Brian Ohr, Wheeling, Ill. – 36-38–74

Chris Nido, Miami, Fla. – 36-38–74

Dylan Perry, Aberdeen, NSW – 37-37–74

Cody Burrows, Chickasha, Okla. – 37-37–74

Austin Eckroat, Edmond, Okla. – 38-37–75

Brendon Jelley, Tulsa, Okla. – 36-39–75

Jake Marriott, Augusta , Ga. – 36-39–75

Rhett Rasmussen, Draper, Utah – 37-38–75

James Clark, Fortson, Ga. – 37-38–75

Frank Garber, Kirkland, Wash. – 37-38–75

Andrew Alligood, Saint Johns, Fla. – 41-34–75

Luis Gagne, Orlando, Fla. – 36-39–75

Chase Hanna, Leawood, Kan. – 40-35–75

Clayton Feagler, Laguna Niguel, Calif. – 39-36–75

Jake Staiano, Cherry Hills Village, Colo. – 39-36–75

Austin Squires, Union, Ky. – 35-40–75

Yechun (Carl) Yuan, Lake Mary, Fla. – 37-38–75

Benjamin Shipp, Duluth, Ga. – 39-36–75

Garrick Higgo, Stellenbosch, WC – 36-39–75

Kyle Michel, Kialla, VIC – 37-38–75

Ben Albin, Santa Fe, N.M. – 38-37–75

Stratton Nolen, Austin, Texas – 40-35–75

Shuai Ming Wong, Spring, Texas – 38-37–75

Wells Padgett, Wichita, Kan. – 36-39–75

Matt Hutchins, Naples, Fla. – 38-38–76

Denzel Ieremia, Ames, Iowa – 38-38–76

Aaron Hickman, Tyler, Texas – 38-38–76

Draegen Majors, Tulsa, Okla. – 35-41–76

Yuxin Lin, Beijing, BEI – 42-34–76

Andrew Kozan, West Palm Beach, Fla. – 38-38–76

Jacob Bergeron, Slidell, La. – 36-40–76

Tyson Reeder, Edmond, Okla. – 37-39–76

Clancy Waugh, North Palm Beach, Fla. – 38-38–76

Nick Voke, Ames, Iowa – 36-40–76

Matthew Cheung, Oklahoma City, Okla. – 38-38–76

Broc Everett, West Des Moines, Iowa – 37-40–77

Robert Funk, Canyon Lake, Calif. – 36-41–77

Gene Elliott, West Des Moines, Iowa – 36-41–77

Daniel Wetterich, Cincinnati, Ohio – 38-39–77

Douglas Ghim, Arlington Heights, Ill. – 38-39–77

Davis Shore, Knoxville, Tenn. – 38-39–77

James Grierson, Sydney, NSW – 40-37–77

Matthew Wolff, Agoura Hills, Calif. – 39-38–77

Charlie Netzel, Western Springs, Ill. – 36-41–77

Samuel Kim, Irvine, Calif. – 36-41–77

Daniel Connolly, San Francisco, Calif. – 38-39–77

Will Strauss, La Jolla, Calif. – 40-37–77

Tyler Gray, Huntingburg, Ind. – 37-40–77

Cole Nygren, San Luis Obispo, Calif. – 34-44–78

Chris Parra, Dallas, Texas – 41-37–78

Riley Johnson, Fargo, N.D. – 41-37–78

Kyler Dunkle, Parker, Colo. – 41-37–78

Hugo Bernard, Mont Saint Hilaire, QC – 41-37–78

Cameron John, Melbourne, VIC – 36-43–79

Hunter Shattuck, Waco, Texas – 43-36–79

Jeff Bell, Overland Park, Kan. – 44-35–79

Ryan Gerard, Raleigh, N.C. – 39-40–79

Austin James, Bath, ON – 41-38–79

Sam Stevens, Witchita, Kan. – 42-38–80

Mike McCoy, Des Moines, Iowa – 40-40–80

Charles Kim, Fayetteville, Ark. – 42-38–80

Jay Reynolds, Austin, Texas – 42-38–80

Turner MacLean, Fort Worth, Texas – 41-39–80

Joshua Martin, Pinehurst, N.C. – 43-38–81

Jordan Roberts, Manhattan, Kan. – 41-40–81

Tanner Gore, El Paso, Texas – 41-40–81

Zach Smith, Goleta, Calif. – 40-42–82

Kyle Sterbinsky, Yardley, Pa. – 41-41–82

Mason Nome, Houston, Texas – 40-42–82

Nick Heinen, Edmond, Okla. – 42-41–83

Blake Vinson, Fort Worth, Texas – 46-38–84

Mason Overstreet, Kingfisher, Okla. – 43-41–84

Carson Cavner, Jupiter, Fla. – 42-42–84

Sean Griswold, Durango, Colo. – 41-44–85

Joo-Young Lee, Dekalb, Ill. – 46-39–85

Josh Seiple, Castle Rock, Colo. – 45-40–85

TJ Vilkanskas, Manhattan, Kan. – 48-38–86

Bradley Lane, Lawrence, Kan. – 42-45–87

Andrew McCain, Saint Paul, Minn. – WD

Jacob Huizinga, Orlando, Fla. – WD

Frankie Capan, North Oaks, Minn. -WD

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